SONGS FOR THE JOURNEYA Practical Guide to Music at Mass

The following artide by Sr. Sheila Browne, R.S.M. appeared in the Fa1/1988issue of CHURCH magazine. We gratefully acknowledge permission receivedfrom the National Pastoral Life Center to reprint it here.

Few activities of parish life generate such lively enthusiasm orwholehearted disdain as singing at Sunday Eucharist. Musicat Mass causes some people to plan their Sundaymorning-<:hanging schedules to avoid what they do not like,or traveling a distance to participate in a well-sung liturgy. TheNotre Dame Study of Catholic Parish Life tells us that Catholicpeople are opposed not so much to singing at Mass as to thequality of the music and the singing. This information leavespastors wondering what they can do to have good celebrationswith enthusiastic singing from the assembly. A reminder ofsome key documents on music, a review of each one's role inmusic ministry, suggestions for selecting and teaching hymns,and reflections on joining music with ritual can help a parish onthe journey to pleasing and authentic worship.

Music Guides

Anyone involved in liturgical music, from the pastor to thesecond guitarist, needs to read "Music in Catholic Worship.'This short work of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgypresents a theology of celebration and an examination ofwhen to sing at Mass and why. With its companions,"Liturgical Music Today' and "Environment and Art in CatholicWorship," along with the General Instruction on the Roman'Missal and the Introduction to the Lectionary, it furnishes abasic sense of what the church does at liturgy. It is from thisfoundation that music ministry programs develop and planningbegins.

There is a difference between singing the Mass, whichrequires the participation of the celebrant and deacon as wellas the congregation, and singing at Mass. We recognize thatthe sung liturgy is the norm, even though here we will belooking principally at the congregation's participation in theliturgy.

Who Makes Music?

Key people in encouraging the assembly to sing are thepastor, the song leader, organist, choir, and folk group. Asupportive and interested pastor is essential. Even if he is nota musician, his cooperation, praise, and authentic criticism arethe impetus for everyone else's work. Without his support,little can be accomplished.

The great French liturgist and composer Joseph Gelineau hascalled the song leader an "animator,' the one who, withoutdrawing attention to self, invites and encourages the song ofthe people. The best song leaders believe whafthey sing,practice and know the music well, have pleasing voices thatdon't overpower the congregation, display an inviting,hospitable manner, and use simple gestures to bring thecongregation into the song. It is important that this leader beseen by the people, for it is the whole person who invitesparticipation, not just the voice. Organists who sing (even witha microphone) while playing at the console, no matter where itis placed, are not in a position to encourage our still hesitantcongregations to sing. Song leaders gain additionalresponsibility as cantors when parishes begin to sing theresponsorial psalm each week. The leader both sings theverses of the psalm and invites the people's response.Careful preparation and articulation of the psalm text is 'important if we want the people to be able to understand thewords simply by listening without reading along. General rulesof good singing, like the placing of final d's and t's on words,and the careful singing of vowels are easy enough to put intopractice.

The organist is also important in encouraging a congregation'sparticipation. In size and in volume, the organ can overpowerany song leader. It is essential then that organist and son9leader coordinate their work and that the organist be skillEfd inmore than playing correct notes. The introduction to a hymnor song should establish key and tempo and the feel of thepiece, beckoning the singers to join in. Sometimes this isdone by playing the whole selection through; at other times,

the first and last phrases are enough. However it works best,the assembly should be able to recognize the hymn and knowwhen to sing. A good organist does not ritard at the end ofevery verse, but keeps a steady tempo to the end. A goodorganist breathes with the people, that is, actually lifts handsand feet from the keyboard and pedals for a pulse at the endof a phrase for the people to breathe. This moves the piecesmusically and makes it easier for people to sing.

The organist needs to be aware of the text of the hymn he orshe is playing, and s/he can phrase better and breathe betterbecause the text will inform the music. The registration of theorgan, that is, the selection of stops used, also affects thesinging. Too many 16' stops (the deepest sounding ones, likethe bass 16') make a muddy or tubby sound, not conducive togood singing. Too many 4' or 2' stops (the highest pitchedones, like the super octave 2') are harsh sounding, and cangive you a four-verse headache. Skillful organists who knowhow to balance sound will change the registration for someverses of a hymn and lead up to the final verse by addingstops to make a fuller sound, or even modulate up a step,bringing excitement to this concluding moment. Correct pedalplaying gives the underlying support to the music, and helps tomove the singers along. The best pastoral organists I knowcontinue to study with a teacher, improving their skills andexpanding their repertoire. Budgeting continuing educationfunds for the organist (and other musicians) is money wellspent.

Choirs and folk groups are partners in music ministry too.Their role is to lead and support the congregation, while takingtheir own appropriate moments for singing by themselves.They should always support the congregation in singing theacclamations ot the eucharistic prayer and the gospel verse,perhaps dressing them up with harmony or addedinstrumentation. Settings of these parts for choir alone are notappropriate. Most of the Masses composed today have a partfor the congregation as well as parts for the choir. Entrancehymns and recessionals can be sung together also, with thechoir or folk group singing the harmony or even a verse bythemselves. Publishers advertise "concertato" setting of themost popular hymns, such as "Alleluia, Sing to Jesus," and"Praise to the Lord," that have special parts for the choirwithout neglecting the congregation. Publishers of

contemporarymusic, that issongs like MartyHaugen's "WeRemember" andDan Schutte's"Here I Am, Lord,"sell much of theirmusic incollections thathave harmoni-zation and instru-mental parts.

It is important that,while respecting

and supporting the song of the assembly, these special groupssing by themselves. The time during the presentation of gifts,before or after the people's hymn at Communion, the finalsong, or even at the "Glory to God," are all places where thechoir can sing appropriate music. Guidelines for selecting this

music are similar to those we will present below forcongregational music. The repertoire of these groups neednot be exercises in nostalgia, but can foster the sense of goodmusic wedded to faithful text and used at the right moment,even if some of the selections are hundreds of years old. Inplanning their works, choirs and folk groups need toremember the hospitality of the place: be on time, do wellwhat you do, tune up or practice out of the hearing of thosegathering for Mass.

Selecting the Music

The musical repertoire of the congregation needs to beupdated, for although we know the people like to sing oldfamiliar hymns, they like to learn new ones too. How doesone choose new music? Not everything that is printed is rightfor every parish. Let us explore a few ways of determiningwhat might work.

First to consider is the basic source of parish music, thehymnal, missalette, or song book. There are pros and consfor the use of each which touch on cost, parish planning, thevision for the music program, the body of music the peoplealready know, and the symbolic value of a book as comparedto disposable newsprint or paperbacks. Pertinent data fromthe Notre Dame study indicate that churches that use hymnbooks incorporating the entire Mass, sung and spoken parts,as well as hymns, do better at sung participation than placesthat have other kinds of aids.

"Music in Catholic Worship" suggests three categories ofcriteria for selecting liturgical music: musical, liturgical, andpastoral. As musical criteria, one asks: Is the music of thishymn good enough to invest people's time learning it? Will wesing it for a few years without tiring of it? Good music is hardto define, but it most likely has these qualities: a discernablemelody, harmony that supports the melody, reasonableinterval skips, a felt pulse and rhythmic drive, a wedding ofthese elements, with energy and passion binding it alltogether. You can probably find these in any hymn tune orsong that has been around awhile. In addition, the mostcomfortable range of most congregational tunes is generallyfrom the D above middle C to its octave. "Crown Him withMany Crowns," "For the Beauty of the Earth," and DanSchutte's "Glory and Praise to Our God" fit this range.Because Suzanne Toolan's "I Am the Bread of Life" has awider range of over an octave and a half and wide intervals,congregations can find it difficult to sing. Yet the great spiritthey can muster to sing this reminds us that we cannot restrictour music entirely to the D to D octave. To determine whetherour congregation will do well with a more demanding piece, Ioften live with it for a while, invite some people to learn it withme, and then come to a joint decision about adopting it.

The liturgical judgment is important too, for the actions of theliturgy have their own character, which the music shouldexpress and support. Settings for the acclamations,especially the alleluia or other gospel verse, and for the sungparts of the eucharistic prayer (holy, memorial, amen) need tohave the feel of an acclamation: strong, to the point, andsingable without introduction. It disturbs the flow of theeucharistic prayer as a whole if after the celebrant hasenthusiastically invoked a response with, "We proclaim yourglory and join in their unending hymn of praise" and then hasto wait for eight measures of introduction before the

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congregation acclaims "Holy, holy, holy lord." The widesuccess of Richard Proulx's "Community Mass" with its one-and two-note introductions attests to the value of a setting thatuses no protracted introduction. The responsorial psalm, onthe other hand, is generally considered to be more meditativein nature. It is the people's response to the first reading andthe music should do this for the text. The responses andpsalmody of Joseph Gelineau and the newer melodic writingof Michael Joncas, David Haas, and Marty Haugen, the ICElcollections, and the new series from World Library and OregonPress provide many tuneful and reflective settings from whichto choose. To make these liturgical judgments, those whoselect music need a sense of the liturgy, knowing how to makethe various moments come alive in sung prayer.

The pastoral is the most nebulous to put on paper but perhapsthe easiest to see and hear. What works well in this place, atthis time, for this celebration, and with these people? Here themusician had better know the people and be ready to makeadjustments in his or her attitude. Those selecting the musicshould neither overrate nor underrate the capacity of thecongregation to find various hymns fitting. "How Great ThouArt" contradicts many of the musical suggestions made above,especially in its awkward skips and wide range, yet it is sungwell in many places. "0 Healing River" is a hymn out of aparticular tradition, the Black tradition, and has a very unusualstyle, yet it has become a lively part of the repertoire of ourIrish-Italian middle-class parish. Conversely, parishes withgospel choirs can find an English setting like the Forest Greensetting for "Blessed be the God of Israel" eminently suitable totheir worship.

Examining texts of hymns is an important part of the selectionprocess. Does this hymn text express the faith ofthe church?Can it move us to a wider vision of faith or action? Whatimage of God does it project? Is the language inclusive ofmen and women? These are some of the questions one mightuse in judging texts. Since a parish should probably introduceno more than six or seven new hymns a year, it is important toselect ones that can make a difference. What is your parishvision for the next few years? Are there hymns to help supportthat vision? A music committee might decide to teach DanSchutte's "City of God" rather than another hymn of praisebecause of the social implications of the text. Those whochoose hymns need a good sense of theology and an ear forwell-crafted text.

Introducing New Music

Teaching the new hymn, acclamation, or responsorial psalmrefrain takes a bit of planning; making the church a musicclassroom for five minutes before Mass is not the best way todo it. Weaving the melody into interlude or prelude music theweeks before is a way to begin. On the day it is to be used, orperhaps the previous week, the song leader introduces it tothe assembly (congregation, celebrant, ministers) a fewminutes before Mass. If it is to be sung with organ, the melodyis played alone; then it is sung by the leader with organ orguitar. Finally, the assembly is asked to sing it. Approaching itas a piece to be learned perfectly at that moment can alienatemost people. The song leader's enthusiasm, competence,and genuine regard for the congregation are more importanthere than having every note perfect.

We have found it helpful to use most new hymns for the first

time during the collection and presentation (most, but not all;some are not appropriate here). The people can sitcomfortably and hold the hymn book, and there is usuallyenough time to sing all the verses. It is satisfying to hear thesinging get stronger verse-by-verse and week-by-week. Ittakes about a month to get the congregation to sing a piecefairly well. H the hymn doesn't work for the people (and youwill hear them vote with their voices), drop it. H it does work,keep using it. After singing it at appropriate times over thecourse of a year or two, it might become a part of the people'shymn vocabulary. Remember: somewhere, sometime, "HolyGod We Praise Thy Name" was brand new.

The musicians must also decide the appropriate key andtempo. Members of a congregation frequently comment onsongs that are too high or too slow. We have alreadydiscussed the common range of D to D. Guitarists andorganists, especially those who have transposers on theirorgans, will lower a hymn to a more comfortable key.Sometimes a step down is fine, but if lowered too much, thehymn is ruined, taking all life from it. It is often the occasionalhigh note that gives the piece excitement and thecongregation energy. Decisions about key should be madewith a sense of the music, with fidelity to the composer, aswell as for the ease of the congregation.

The tempo at which one sings a hymn tune or song hassomething to do with the integrity of the music and the text.Singing too fast can trivialize it; singing too slowly can kill it,and the congregation. Some melodies feel right at a certaintempo, others are harder to determine. The tempo for a hymntune can often be set by looking for the measures with themost divided beats, usually the eighth notes, and decidinghow those measures can be sung best. The rest of the hymn'follows from there. For instance, the last phrase of "JesusChrist Is Risen Today" has measures where we sing "Alleluia."The tempo at which those measures can be sung with vitality(it is Easter) determines the tempo of the hymn. For others,musical movement to the end of the phrasecan be theindicator. Musically, we should sing, "God Father praise andglory, thy children bring to Thee," on one breath. The organistplays that whole phrase, then breathes, so the congregationcan breathe and go on without gasping or giving up. Anotherindicator is the tempo at which the congregation can singmusically and easily,with energy. It is thebreath that giveslife, the broath.otthe body and thebreath of the Spirit.They both have todo with the life ofthe liturgicalassembly.

The Purpose of theMusic

While we areconcerned withtechniques of'singing and playing, selection of music, and training ofministers, there is another level of sung liturgy with which weare concerned. This is the level at'which understandingbreaks through and we get a glimpse of the effects of sung

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liturgical prayer. Do we everthink that something willhappen to us, to the church,because of what we sing?These are not empty words inour hymns, but the prayer ofthe church. We might findourselves changed, opened toconversion, formed in ourunderstanding and belief assong is joined to ritual, A lookat American cultural life can

help us to understand this better.

The song "We Shall Overcome" came to symbolize a nationalmovement. For those who took part in the marches and sit-insof the 1960s, singing this song with others, marching, andholding hands all gave strength to individuals and bonding tothe group. For some this was a vehicle of conversion, movingthem from quiet onlooker to personal and vocal participant inthe quest for racial justice. For many today, hearing that songrecalls the persons, scenes, sounds, pain, and joy of thatwhole period. It is a door through which they can enter amovement.

Singing at Mass can be the "door" through which one entersthe liturgy. It can be a vehicle for conversion, putting on ourown lips the words of faith that move us to action and todeeper belief in what we sing. A few years ago our parishlived through quite a furor over the opening of a shelter for thehomeless in an unused portion of the church. During thoseweeks we sang "Whatsoever You Do" at the Sunday Eucharist.A few people remarked that ~ was the text of this hymn thatstrengthened them in their belief in the shelter. For one 'person, it was crucial, lingering with him all week, and helpingto change his mind from opposition to support.

Music joined to ritual has power to shape belief andunderstanding. Short refrains, acclamations, even hymnsused to accompany certain actions can bring them to life. Forall ths-Sundays of Easter, our entrance procession moves firstto the font where the water rite is celebrated, and we singHoward Hughes's "We Have Put on Christ" as the people aresprinkled. We use this same music for every baptism in theparish. Recently, I heard one of our ushers discusing hisgrandchild's baptism, remarking how much it was like Easterbecause we sang an Easter song. Here a connection betweenEaster and baptism had been made without long explanations,but simply by letting people experience it.

The Communion procession, joined to good music, can helpform our understanding of what it is we do. I find peopleusually resist singing and walking, especially if it meanscarrying a book with them. This is further complicated if onewishes to receive in the hand and drink from the cup. Yetjourneying together to the table of the Lord, joined in song, is avery good image for Communion. We show in our bodies ourunity in the Lord and with each other in the body of Christ. Wesolved some of the difficulty by using only hymns that peopleknow by heart (e.g., Toolan's "I Am the Bread of Life") or, betterstill, ones with short refrains ("Eat This Bread," from Taize,Joncas' "When We Eat This Bread," the Eucharistic Congresshymn, "Gift of Finest Wheat"). The people needed to carrynothing but themselves to Communion. A further refinementhas been using only five or six Communion songs for the year.

In this way, the people really get to know them and feelcomfortable singing. Song leaders easily invite people to singon their way, and little by little, they are doing just that. Songinforms action; action informs the song; opportunity forunderstanding is present.

The power of God can be heightened by music too, as theritual and its music engage our attention. The proclamation ofthe gospel is preceded by a sung acclamation. The sameacclamation can be used after the gospel, thus framing thegood news in sung praise. Some interesting homilies canhappen when people ask why we would sing/respond w~h"alleluia" after Jesus tells us to lose our life in order to save it,or that anyone who wishes to be first must be the servant ofall. Catechumens and baptized alike hear these challengingwords, and the contradiction of the good news is acted out byacclaiming it in joy.

These few ways of joining music with ritual engage us to actout very simply who we are and what we believe: We put onour lips the words of faith and allow ourselves to be graduallyformed in that faith. Continuity becomes important. You can'thave a different hymn book or music director every other year,or constantly change the way a parish celebrates majorfestivals, and then expect hymns and psalms to spring frompeople's lips in sung prayer. A part of ritual is that peopleknow what to expect. The bigger the feast and the larger thecrowd, the more familiar the music should be. It isinhospitable to invite a crowd and expect them to singunfamiliar music. Christmas isn't Christmas with all newmusic. People wait for some known hymns to touch base withthe best of our tradition, and then hand it on, both the new andthe old, to others: our catechumens andour children.

We have looked at some short documents that providedirection for singing the Sunday Eucharist, at music ministers,the selection and teaching of new hymns, some musicalproblems and ways of joining music with ritual. While this isnot all that can be said about improving the music at Mass, itis a start. Our hope for the future is that Catholics want goodliturgy and singing at Sunday Eucharist. Saint Augustine said~ so much better: "You should sing as wayfarers do-sing butcontinue your journey. Do not be lazy, but sing to make yourjourney more enjoyable. Sing, but keep going."

Sister Sheila Browne, R.S.M. is director of music ministry at St. Kevin's Parish inFlushing, NY. Copyright 1989, CHURCH magazine, published by the NationalPastoral Life Center, 299 Elizabeth St., NY, NY 10012

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The fol/pwing appeared in the flugust issu.e of the .Bishops' Committee on the Uturgy Newsletter.

Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, priest andmartyr, November 24Pope John Paul II has approved theinclusion of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac andcompanions, martyrs, in the RomanCalendar as an obligatory memorial. St.Andrew and his 116companions sufferedmartyrdom in Vietnam in the eighteenthcentury. ''Through the missionary effortsof various religious families beginning inthe sixteenth century and continuing insucceeding centuries the Vietnamesepeople heard the message of the .Gospel....This message was warmlywelcomed by the people, who show amarked filial devotion toward the God ofheaven, and among them the Gospel hasreaped a joyous harvest....Through itssons and daughters the Church ofVietnam has not been "ashamed of thescandal of the cross" (Ad gentes,#24)....Many Christians of this Churchreceived the gift of martyrdom....Theliturgical celebration of holy martyrsmanifests Christ's paschal mystery andpresents to the faithful examples for themto imitate that-are signs of the Church's

holiness through the ages." (excerpts fromthe decree prepared by the InternationalCommission on English in the Liturgy;Prot. CD 154/89)

verse will be identified separately and beprinted before the reference to the gospel;each of the Sunday cycles will be printedseparately, that is, all of cycle A, followedby cycle B, then cycle C; a similar

June Meeting of the Committee on the principle will be used for the weekdayLiturgy readings.The annual meeting of the members, The Joint Committee (of the Committeeconsultants, advisors, and staff of the on Doctrine and the Committee on theCommittee on the Liturgy took place at Liturgy) on Inclusive Language hasSeton Hall University, So. Orange, NJ, submitted to the Committees on Liturgyfrom June 14-15, 1989. The following are and on Doctrine the latest draft of criteria

.some of the topics being discussed:· . 'to be used in the evaluation of inclusiveMsgr. Alan Detscher reported that the. language contained in biblical translationsLectionary Subcommittee is continuing its intended for use in the liturgy. The text is

. work on the preparation of the second now being revised in light of theedition of the Lectionary for Mass. The '., comments made by the two committees.entire text (including the Old Testament) of 'Father Ronald Krisman reported that thethe New American Bible is being edited for final editorial work has been completed onhorizontal inclusive language; a new the Book of Blessings, and the publicationtranslation of the psalms is being release date has been set for October 1,prepared; the readings will be in sense 1989. The Order for the Solemnlines; difficult Hebrew and Greek proper Exposition of the Hoiy Eucharist hasnames will be syllabified for ease in been completed and will be published inpronunciation; references to the Jews will several months. Editorial work is nearingbe clarified in accord with the principles of completion on the Pastoral Companion tothe Council for Religious Relations with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.the Jews (1974); the summaries of thereadings will be printed before theintroduction to the reading; the alleluia

Reprinted with permission of the Bishops' Committeeon the Uturgy. Washington. D.C. All rights reserved.

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